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min answer › date of answer

2019-05-21

tabling member › label

Biography information for Steve McCabe

max answer › question first answered

2019-07-16T16:39:34.677Z

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To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment
the Government has made of the potential merits of providing a statutory entitlement
to up to 10 days paid care leave.

<p>The Government recognises the challenges of balancing work and care. Improving
support for carers to do so is a key part of the action plan that we published in
June 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is working with colleagues across Government
to consider the question of dedicated employment rights for carers alongside existing
employment rights (such as the right to request flexible working and the right to
time off for family and dependants).</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment
he has made of the potential merits of providing the statutory right for employees
taking longer-term unpaid care leave to return to their original employment after
their caring duties have finished.

<p>The Government recognises the challenges of balancing work and care. Improving
support for carers to do so is a key part of the action plan that we published in
June 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is working with colleagues across Government
to consider the question of dedicated employment rights for carers alongside existing
employment rights (such as the right to request flexible working and the right to
time off for family and dependants).</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps
his Department has taken to ensure that people employed on zero-hours contracts are
able to take advantage of employment rights which are gained after a period of qualifying
service.

<p>An individual’s eligibility for statutory employment protections in the UK is determined
by their employment status and not the type of work they do, or label given to the
arrangement. Individuals who are on a zero hours contract, part-time contract, or
any other type of flexible arrangement can still be eligible for the same statutory
employment rights as any permanent, full-time individual if they are doing the same
work.</p><p> </p><p>The latest figures show that the proportion of people on zero
hours contracts remains small (2.6 per cent of the labour force). The number of people
reporting being employed on a zero hours contract is 57,000 fewer than for a year
earlier.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what progress
has been made on ensuring that (a) people who purchased a defective Whirlpool tumble
driers are compensated and (b) those dryers are made safe.

<p>Under the agreed terms of the recall that Whirlpool is carrying out, consumers
with an unmodified affected tumble dryer are entitled to a new replacement machine.
This will be delivered and installed, with the old one removed, all at no cost. Alternatively,
consumers can choose to upgrade to a different model for a reduced fee. A refund based
on product age or a modification will be available to those consumers who do not want
to take up the offer of a free replacement dryer from Whirlpool.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to (a)
reverse the closure of children's centres and (b) publish a strategy for the long-term
expansion of the provision of children's centres.

<p>As set out in the government response to recommendation 13 of the Education Select
Committee report on tackling disadvantage in the early years, published on 4 April
2019, we are clear that children’s centres have an important role to play in achieving
my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education’s social mobility ambition,
but it is right for local authorities to decide how to use them as part of the wider
system of local services. The government response can be accessed here: <a href="https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Correspondence/Government-response-to-committee-9th-report-tackling-disadvantage-in-the-early-years-CP-68.pdf"
target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Education/Correspondence/Government-response-to-committee-9th-report-tackling-disadvantage-in-the-early-years-CP-68.pdf</a>,
the select committee report can be accessed here: <a href="https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmeduc/1006/1006.pdf"
target="_blank">https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmeduc/1006/1006.pdf</a>.</p><p>The
government’s role is to engage with the sector, find out what works and support local
areas to make the right decisions for their communities, which is why we have commissioned
the Early Intervention Foundation (EIF) to examine research and practice evidence
with the aim of developing tools to help local authorities make informed choices about
their children’s centre provision. The EIF project is part of the Department for Education’s
£8.5 million local government programme, which will inform the next steps, including
considering any future consultation, on children’s centres. Funding for the local
government programme runs until March 2020, with evidence and learning emerging by
its conclusion.</p><p> </p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the implications
for his policies of the recent London School of Economics report which has found that
children with special educational needs and disabilities who attend nurseries based
in primary schools are significantly less likely than their peers to be admitted into
the school’s reception class.

<p>The government’s ambition for children with special educational needs and disabilities
(SEND) is the same for every other child: to make the most of early education, thrive
in school and to live happy fulfilled lives.</p><p> </p><p>The London School of Economics
report focusses on data related to the behaviour of schools and a cohort of children
born into the 2006/07 academic year. This report does not consider parental choice
in that some children may have gone onto a special school rather than the primary
school they attended as their preschool choice.</p><p> </p><p>Where a child’s education
health care (EHC) plan names a school, the child must be admitted to that school.
Where a child does not have an EHC plan, places will be allocated in accordance with
the school's published admission arrangements.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, all mainstream
state-funded schools must comply with the school admissions code and wider admissions
law, as well as with equalities law. The code is clear that admission authorities
must ensure their arrangements will not disadvantage unfairly, directly or indirectly
a child with SEND.</p><p> </p><p> </p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to implement
a national bereavement policy for schools to help assist children who have experienced
the death of a member of their immediate family.

<p>The Department’s Mental Health and Behaviour guidance includes links to sources
of information and support, including on how to respond to bereavement and other traumatic
events. This includes MindEd, which the Government has funded to provide online advice
and training on mental health for all professionals working with children and young
people. Information on MindEd is available here: <a href="https://www.minded.org.uk/"
target="_blank">https://www.minded.org.uk/</a>.</p><p>The Department has also provided
advice to schools on how to provide access to high quality school-based counselling,
available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools</a>.</p><p>Where
children need specialist support, it is important that schools are able to make referrals
quickly. The NHS long term plan sets out how specialist mental health support will
be increased, including through access to crisis care 24 hours a day by 2023/24. It
also includes support for at least an additional 345,000 children and young people
to access NHS funded mental health services, including through new mental health support
teams linked to schools and colleges.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that
the specification of laptops supplied to students with vision impairment through the
disabled students’ allowance is updated allow updating of necessary software over
the duration of degree programme.

<p>The department is currently reviewing the specification of equipment provided to
visually impaired students, to ensure that it remains fit for purpose throughout the
duration of students’ courses.</p><p> </p><p>Students that experience issues with
their equipment are advised to contact their assessment centre or Student Finance
England so that these issues can be considered and rectified.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to merge the allowances
for non-medical, equipment and general support for disabled students’ allowance to
permit more flexibility in how that allowance may be spent by undergraduate students.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made
of the adequacy of mental health support for people who (a) are deaf and (b) have
a hearing impairment; and if he will make a statement.

<p>The Government is committed to ensuring that all people who have a mental health
need, including those who are deaf or have a hearing impairment, are able to access
appropriate support when they need it regardless of other physical health conditions.
Commissioners are responsible for commissioning appropriate cultural and linguistic
provisions when planning services for deaf people.</p><p>Deaf patients are able to
access mental health services based on a clinical assessment of need with the support
and involvement of clinicians (including consultant psychiatrists and mental health
nurses) with the skills and experience of working with deaf people with mental illness
and who are able to communicate using British Sign Language (BSL) where needed.</p><p>NHS
England commissions specialised mental health services for children, young people
and adults who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. These include inpatient and
outreach services for children and young people and services for adults who require
inpatient care, including care in secure mental health services.</p><p>The Specialised
Mental Health Clinical Reference Group provides advice and support to NHS England
about improving commissioning, including through service specifications and quality
schemes. NHS England has developed a specific Commissioning for Quality and Innovation
(CQUIN) scheme in 2019-20 for specialised deaf services aimed at introducing a standardised
approach to the assessment and understanding of a patient’s individual communication
skills, which will improve the effectiveness of interactions with staff, care planning
and delivery.</p><p>The Joint Commissioning Panel for Mental Health has published
guidance for commissioners of primary care mental health services for deaf people.
This is for use by clinical commissioning groups, local authorities and service providers
across primary and secondary care. The content is evidence based and incudes what
is deemed to be best practice when commissioning mental health services for deaf people.
The guide is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="http://www.improvement.nhs.uk/resources/improving-mental-health-services-for-deaf-people/"
target="_blank">www.improvement.nhs.uk/resources/improving-mental-health-services-for-deaf-people/</a></p><p>The
guidance recommends the training of psychological wellbeing practitioners through
an accredited standard Improving Access to Psychological Therapies low intensity training
course adapted for delivery in BSL. It also sets out the benefit of providing the
current specialist BSL workforce with access to continuing professional development
training so that they are able to further develop their skills and expertise through
programmes such as high intensity therapy, counselling for depression, supervision
qualifications and other appropriate interventions.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p>